[Role of the Doppler technique in the differential diagnosis of solid breast nodules. Personal experience]

The role of Doppler techniques in the differential diagnosis of benign from malignant solid breast lesions remains to be defined; indeed, it is still debated whether the diagnostic findings of Doppler US add further information to mammographic and B-mode US results. We investigated the diagnostic effectiveness of Doppler techniques in the differential diagnosis of breast nodules, especially in a selected group of patients with questionable diagnosis because of atypical morphological features or benign appearance detected in women over 40 years old. Color Doppler studies were performed on 111 breast nodules with solid features at US; 53 vascularized lesions were also studied with duplex Doppler. All the nodules were submitted to biopsy, which demonstrated 6 nonvascularized lesions to be complicated cysts. There were 105 solid breast nodules (65 benign and 40 malignant). Color Doppler US showed vascular signals in 71% of benign nodules, mainly at the periphery. 12% of benign nodules had Doppler signals of malignancy at color Doppler US; 92% of malignant lesions was vascularized, with irregular intratumoral signals in 37% of them. The peak systolic velocity and the resistive index were higher in malignant tumors (p < 0.02); peak systolic velocity changed in malignant lesions according to tumor size (p < 0.01). Color Doppler correctly suspected malignancy in 62% of the nodules with questionable features; conversely, 31% of the nodules with questionable findings and no color Doppler signs of malignancy proved malignant at biopsy. In conclusion, the role of Doppler studies remains currently limited in the differential diagnosis of solid breast lesions.